New Zealand continues to make progress with its ambitious ultra-fast broadband (UFB) program as its network contractors have completed 20 percent of the buildout.

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Customer adoption of UFB is still in an early phase, with about 3 percent of eligible users subscribing to the new fiber-based services.

According to New Zealand's ICT two-year report, the total number of premises that can connect to the UFB network has risen to 229,633 and some 149,000 homes and businesses in rural areas now have access to faster broadband under the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI).

The number of connected users to the UFB has grown to 9,984.

Graham Mitchell, Crown Fibre Holdings' CEO, said in a release that "just over half of urban businesses now have access to UFB, while 67% of schools in UFB areas are now able to connect to the network."

Among those taking part in building out the UFB network, Telecom New Zealand's Chorus said in July that it would bring fiber to 250,000 premises in the next two-year phase of its portion of the UFB build out.